Free Program with Jim Hencinski

On Saturday January 29th at 10:00 AM the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center will present a program entitled The Caged Eagles: American Warplanes in Japanese Service with Jim Hencinski.

It is a little known fact that Japan used more than 1,500 transport planes and trainers during World War II that were originally designed in the 1930s by American aircraft companies like Lockheed, Douglas and North American Aviation.

A sizable number of U.S. military combat aircraft were also captured and flown by the Japanese during the war. These included examples of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the North American P-51 Mustang, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and at least three Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.

This presentation uses photographs and newly discovered information from rarely seen Japanese sources to tell the fascinating story behind these forgotten American aircraft and how they came to be turned against us in the Pacific between 1941 and 1945.

Jim Hencinski is a retired US Army Warrant Officer and military history enthusiast who enjoys uncovering and sharing obscure aspects of military history. The program is free and open to the public. The Center’s exhibition galleries will be open for tours at regular admission prices.